The present invention relates generally to copolymer-coated solid supports and, more particularly, to compositions useful as assay reagents.
Aldehyde-coated paramagnetic particles are useful as reagents in assays. However, aldehyde-coated paramagnetic particles, for example, paramagnetic particles coated with glutaraldehyde, exhibit undesirable instability during storage. Polystyrene latex magnetic particles may be employed in assays, but such particles are more expensive than paramagnetic particles.
There is a need for a coating to be used on the surface of paramagnetic particles for linking various moieties to the particles where the resultant particles have enhanced stability during storage.